Modular adjustable wall shelving

ABSTRACT

D R A W I N G MODULAR KNOCKDOWN SHELVING HAVING VERTICAL SUPPORTS FOR VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE BRACKETS THAT ARE RECEIVED AND CONCEALED WITHIN THE BODY PORTION OF FABRICATED WOODEN SHELVES. THE SHELVES ARE READILY SLIDABLE OVER THE BRACKETS FOR HOLDING THEM IN ADJUSTED POSITION AGAINST REMOVAL AND THE BRACKETS RELEASABLY HOLD THE SHELVES IN WORKING POSITION AGAINST INADVERTENT DISLODGEMENT. THE SHELVES ARE UNIFORM AND ARE CONSTRUCTED FOR OPEN SHELVING, CLOSED SHELVING OR CABINETS WITH OR WITHOUT SLIDING DOORS. THEY CAN SERVE ALSO S DECKS BOTH FLAT AND INCLINED.

Feb. 16, 1971 FERDWAND ETAL 3,563,626

MODULAR ADJUSTABLE WALL SHELVING Filed July 16, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 hM BY M ATTY'S 29 ag 1 I Feb 16, H. RDIN ND ETAL MODULAR ADJUSTABLE WALLSHELVING 4 heets-Sheet 1,

Filed y 6, 1968 BY v 1: ATT'Ys v c. 4 0H ,9 WIIHM/ N M w w WW5 2 0 /9 r6 I. WDHM. 6 6 /3 & A 7 7 II .V) I Q WW 8 4 WW W 6 C ww 2 2 m x F A v -15 a 4 4. am 5 United States Patent 0 3,563,626 MODULAR ADJUSTABLE WALLSHELVING Irwin .I. Ferdinand, Glencoe, and Irwin R. Kulbersh, Niles,Ill., assignors to Hirsh Company, Skokie, 111., a corporation ofIllinois Filed July 16, 1968, Ser. No. 745,287 Int. Cl. A47b 47/00 US.Cl. 312242 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE shelving or cabinetswith or without sliding doors. They can serve also as desks both fiatand inclined.

CROSS REFERENCES Ferdinand et al., 2,837,219, 21l147; Handler et al.,3,139,258, 211--136; Ferdinand et al., 3,265,455, 312295.

BACKGROUND Modular knockdown shelving for home and ofiice isconventionally assembled with the aid of bolts and securing deviceswithout predetermined levelling control and with a rigid tightnessrequiring a tool to loosen and tighten out-of-the-way securements whichare somewhat inaccessible for levelling and height adjustment.Inexperienced persons tend to avoid becoming involved with shelvingwhich requires skilled persons to assemble and adjust and whose priceincludes installation having the cost of labor either hidden in the saleprice or as an added cost. Moreover, tool assembled shelving requiressubstantial time to erect, change or readjust different shelfarrangements and levels. More often than not, their owners endure an oldor undesired arrangement rather than go to the trouble and expense ofchanging it.

It has also been noted that conventional decorative shelving of wooddesigned to show strength and substantial body form requires exposedaccessory equipment which detracts from the appearance of modular woodshelving as obviously being knockdown, and in depicting conventionalbook shelves and wall cabinets with ends disposed in vertical alignment,generally leaving gaps for small articles to disappear between the shelfends. The supporting parts generally interfere with the cleaning of thefloor area below them and also obstruct usable areas of the shelving.

In the present invention, the shelving is modular and does not appear tobe readily adjustable. The shelves are open throughout their lengths,and at their ends, and overlap decoratively at vertically spaced ends tobreak the stodginess of horizontal as well as vertical shelf continuitylines. The shelves are readily changeable without tools to enhancemodular or decorative design and can easily be changed at the whim ofthe viewer. Shelves can be relocated without necessarily moving articlestherefrom and withstand jarring in all directions when in place withoutdisplacing loose articles thereon. Any air of shelves can be made into acabinet or a cabinet into a nook or back into shelves.

The present invention provides for the ready attachment of shelf supportbrackets in a laterally, as well as vertically, guided relationship forrigid securement of support ends when inserted into a vertical supportwith 3,563,626 Patented Feb. 16, 1971 the shelf ends in an inclinedposition and moved to a horizontal position. This movement may not bereversed when a shelf is in place on the shelf brackets and restingagainst the vertical supports. The shelves telescope over the bracketsand are semi-locked in position releasable only by the upward andoutward movement of the front edge of the shelf with respect to thebracket.

The invention contemplates shelving for supporting books and otherarticles in an upright position by integral hollow, light wooden orplastic covered elements having comparatively thin externally finishedwall members laminated with and strongly reinforced by integrated stronginternal frames which accommodate the shelf brackets in concealed,readily attachable and detachable relationship for assembly foradjustment and weight bearing purposes.

More particularly, hollow shelves and book ends are internallyconstructed and adapted upon their bottom faces to serve also as top andbottom sides for a cabinet assembly with end walls and slidable closuressupported between them to provide cabinets of different heights anddifferent sizes that also are readily attachable and detachable.

The invention is also characterized by vertical supports secured to thewall study as spaced a distance equal to the multiple of a module of thedistance of one or two times the conventional building wall stud spacingto receive shelves that are longer than a multiple of the module so thatvertically spaced shelves and cabinets terminally overlap each other ata common support and ends of some shelves serve to support books inother shelves. Moreover, the supports do not interfere with floor spacenor need they extend below the expected location of the lowest shelfmember.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention include theeconomic benefits of mass production of high quality, a uniform productof pleasing modular appearance, and elements that are light and easy tohandle and readily adjustable, along with others that will becomeapparent from the description and related drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of shelving assembly of illustratinga preferred embodiment of the invention installed and in use;

FIGS. 2 and 2a are broken away views of the cabinet portion shown inFIG. 1 illustrating its structural assembly with FIG. 2a taken on line2a2a of FIG. 2;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 33 of FIG. 1showing a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the medial plane of a shelf showingits hard wood reinforcing frame;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cabinet portion shown in FIG. 1 withone of the sliding doors cut away to show the interior and the lowerguide tracks for the doors;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged section taken on line 66 of FIG. 1 showing thecross-sectional shape and mounting of the vertical supports;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a cabinet illustrating an embodiment ofthe invention ready for mounting on shelf brackets;

FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 are sections taken on lines 8-8, 9-9 and 1010,respectively, of FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 8 showing another embodiment of theback closure of the cabinet shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the stamped sheet metal back shown inFIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a front elevational view of the sheet metal front shown inFIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a section taken on line 1414 of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a book end construction embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 16 is a section taken on line 16-16 of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is an end elevational view partly in section showing a readingdesk shelf embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 18 is a section taken on line 18-18 of FIG. 17;

FIGS. 19, 20, 21 and 22 are views similar to FIG. 3 and show other formsof frictionally interengaging the shelves to the brackets, the one shownin FIG. 19 including a detent on the lower edge of the bracket engaginga recess on the shelf; the one shown in FIG. 20 illustrating a recess onthe bracket instead of a detent; the one shown in FIG. 21 beingcharacterized by both a frictional engagement with the shelf adjacentthe upright support, and a taper with an embedding tooth detent adjacentto the front edge; and the ones shown in FIGS. 21 and 22 having an earpreventing the raising of the front end of the bracket and shelf.

Referring now to the drawings and FIG. 1 in further detail, the shelfassembly, shown by way of illustrating the invention, comprises uprightsupports secured to a building wall 12 with or without the uprightsextending to the level of the floor 14 or to the top of a base boardwhich may be present. Shelves 16 are supported on the uprights as laterdescribed and may be used as single shelves to support articles such asbooks 18 with book ends 20, or provide either the upper or lower wall ofa cabinet 22, or comprise a downwardly inclined shelf forming a readingdesk as shown at 24.

As more particularly shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the uprights 10 are likethose shown in Handler 3,139,258 and comprise roll-formed, elongated,channel-like support elements 26 of heavy strip metal stock generallyU-shaped in cross-sectional configuration. They have two paralleloutside walls 27 interconnected along adjacent front edges by a centralportion 30 having an inverted channel portion 32 providing narrowlyspaced inside walls 28 and having a plurality of longitudinallyextending slots 34 in the bottom 33 thereof that are spaced equaldistance, all slots having a predetermined length. The inside walls 28are partially cut away as at 36 at several vertically s aced points aslocated between slots 34 to provide recesses receiving the round heads38 of Wood screws 40 to a countersunk depth indicated by the shoulder42. Below the level of the shoulder 42 the recess is reduced indimension as at 44 to receive the shank of the screw 40 in guided andsupported relation. The screw is long enough to extend through the wallcovering 46 and deeply engage a Wall stud 48 to support the uprights 10in lateral weight bearing relationship and also vertical weight bearingrelationship if the uprights do not extend to the floor base 14 or baseboard.

Brackets 50 adjustably engage in the slots 34 in weight bearingrelationship as supported against side sway by the side walls 27 and 28.For this purpose, and referring to the preferred embodiment shown inFIG. 3, the brackets 50 are heavy sheet metal stampings, formed in theelongated shape shown in which the supported end 56 that engages theupright comprises upwardly extending ears 52 above a neck portion 56.Within the inverted channel 32 the bracekt is elongated downwardly toprovide a bracing ear 60 which engages the bottom 33 under compressiveforces cooperating with upper ear 52 to hold the outer end 58 of thebracket in weight supporting relationship. The rear 52 is receivedthrough the slot 34 when the bracket is in an inclined positionwhereupon the bracket end 58 is lowered until the depending bracing car60 engages the bottom 33. The characteristics of the supporting end 58alluded to in the description of the figures will be described later inconnection with the shelf.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 21 a downwardly extending ear 54 isprovided to prevent upward movement of the bracket end 58 once thebracket is in place. The cars 52 and 54 in FIG. 21 are constructed to bereceived through the slots and lowered until the neck 56 engages theupright 10 at the lower end of a selected slot 34 as at 31 in weightbearing relationship. In this position the upper ear 52 engages thebottom element 33 of the inverted channel portion 32 at 35 above theslot 34 under shear tension opposing downward movement of the projectingend 58 of the bracket, and the lower ear 54 engages the bottom 33 belowthe slot 34 at 37 under shear tension opposing upward movement of theprojecting end 58.

It will be observed that the neck on its tension side 56 is roundedupwardly at 57 for strength to the line of engagement 35 while the neckon the compression side is square to the bottom 33 at the engagement 31and rounds inwardly and reversely as at 41 to provide square contactover the fullest area under shear forces without sharp line contactsthat would tend to induce shear or ripping.

Considering the insertion of the ears and orientation of the bracket,the overall distance from the rounded edge at 57 to the remotest pointof the lower ear therefrom is substantially equal to or less than theheight of the slot and the upper inner corner of the ear 52 is roundedor bevelled as at to just clear the surface of the wall 46. As betweenthe two embodiments, the neck 56 of the FIG. 3 embodiment can bevertically wider for greater strength while that of FIG. 21 preventsupward movement of the end 58 of the bracket. When mounting the bracketof FIG. 21 on the upright, the bracket is held downwardly inclined tothe upright with the upper ear 52 inserted through the slot 34 andraised until the rounded portion 57 of the neck engages the upper end ofthe slot 34. Thereupon the lower ear 54 is moved through the slot bylowering the outer end '58 of the bracket 50 to its horizontal positionwith the bracing ear 60 engaging the bottom 33 of the inverted channelwhereupon the entire bracket is moved downwardly until the engagement at31 is established. Thereafter the two ears cooperate one to engage thewall and the other the bottom 33 to prevent upward movement of the end58.

In FIGS. 3, 17, 19 and 20 brackets are shown wherein the lower ear 54 isnot employed since there is no need to restrain the projecting end 58against upward movement when removing a shelf therefrom for reasonslater explained that are related to the shape and action of the outerends 58 of the bracket.

From the description thus far, assembly is easily made by fastening theuprights to the wall as described; mounting the brackets described inconjunction with FIGS. 3 and 21 at the same level and then push theshelf onto the brackets towards the upright with the brackets receivedthrough the openings 88 until the rear edge engages the uprights.

The shelves 16 are constructed to serve for various purposes but allhave one face side, normally the upper face side 71 bordered with endand front edges finished to depict a shelf board. The other face side73, referred to as the lower one, is provided with structure andadaptations by which the shelf can serve multiple purposes.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 the fabrication of the laminated shelf isshown in which an interior frame of two side and four cross members, 72and- 74 respectively, and a central longitudinal member 76 aresandwiched between two veneer boards 78 to form an unfinished reinforcedshelf blank. The reinforcing elements, by way of example, may be made ofoak and the veneer of mahogany, walnut or other wood veneer. All contactareas of the assembled parts are bonded under pressure as by adhesive toprovide an integrated unit.

In will be observed that the cross members 74 are grouped in pairs atopposite ends with spaces forming recesses 80 between them having a meandistance between them preferably twice the module between wall studs,namely, approximately 32 inches where the on-center spacing of studs is16 inches. The adjacent cross member 74 of the two pairs areinterconnected by the longitudinal member 76.

The ends and the front side edge are then preferably grooved to form arabbet as at 82 which receives mitered finish strips 8 4 overlapping thereinforcement joints for strength which strips can be wood or plastic,plain or embossed. Thereafter the shelf can be sanded and receive anapplied finish and polish ready for use.

The back edge 86 of the shelf as seen in FIGS. 4 and 13 is routed out toprovide limited openings 88 through the rear one of the side members 72for the reception of the supporting ends 58 of the brackets 50 in therecesses 80. The openings are spaced essentially on the module of studspacing, but are elongated enough to take care of usual variations thatmay occur between the remote wall studs of any group of three as basedupon a possible variation from 32 inches.

Referring again to FIGS. 3 and 19 to 22, it will be appreciated that thevertical width of the openings 88 is a predetermined constant and by wayof illustration represents the spaced distance between the veneer board7 8. In view of this dimension, the supporting end 58 of the bracket in'FIG. 3 is wide enough at 61 to provide a sliding interference fit withthe shelf of approximately .025 and from then tapers towards its outerend as indicated along the bottom edge 62. With thi fit the veneerboards yield to place a clamping action upon the bracket over a distanceapproximately equal to the width of the rear one of the frame members72. The shelf accordingly is well secured against inadvertent looseningor removal.

In FIG. 21 the outer end 58 tapers upwardly along the bottom edge 62 andadjacent to the end of the upper edge 64 the bracket is provided with asaw tooth detent 66 pointed inwardly and of a height substantially equalto the greatest dimension of the taper. When the shelf is in place andis loaded the saw tooth 66 will bite into the lower face of the upperveneer member 7 8 and prevent removal until the front edge is raised todisengage the saw tooth, as assisted by the lower ear 54 holding thebracket down for this purpose. Lifting the front edge of the shelfreleases the detent for shelf removal. Thus, by lifting and sliding theshelf it can be removed with no tools, the brackets can be relocated;and, the shelf slid back into place at its new location easily andreadily even frequently to change the decor periodically. When the shelfis in place, the back edge of the upper veneer board engaging theupright opposes upward movement of the front edge of the shelf andbracket.

In FIG. 19 the side edges of the extension 58 are parallel and of lesswidth to move easily into the recess until a detent 66a on the bottomedge engages in a longitudinal groove 67, cut in the inside face of theveneer board 78.

In FIG. 20, the lower edge 62 is notched as at 68 to receive the detent66c carried by a spring clip 69, slipped in place and clipped over theback edge of the lower veneer board. In this construction the spring islocated prior to insertion of the bracket and is released with theoutward movement of the shelf.

For purposes of using the shelves described for members of variousassemblies such as cabinet 22, reference is made to FIGS. 2, 7, 8, 9,and 11 showing structural characteristics associated with the lower faceside 73 of the shelf which is hidden either above or below eye levelwhen used solely as a shelf.

For instance, in FIG. 2 the lower side 73 of the shelf is disposedupwardly to serve as the bottom of the cabinet shown in FIGS. 1 and 7and the upper wall is another shelf 16 disposed in its regularorientation.

The lower face side 73 of the shelf 16 is longitudinally groovedadjacent to and along the front edge as at 90 (FIG. 9) to provide arecess receiving a dual slide door track element 92 as more particularlydescribed in Ferdinand 3,265,455 and the end edges are bored as at 94(FIGS. 2 and 5) in identical places to receive metal coil dowels or pegs96 (FIGS. 2 and 2a). End wall member 98 are correspondingly bored ontheir upper and lower edges to receive the other ends of pags 96. Theend walls 98 are also grooved as at 100 (FIG. 10) vertically along theirrear edges to receive a thin plywood panel or plastic back 102 thatslides into place in the opposing grooves 100 to rest upon the lowershelf 16. Thereupon the end walls are mounted in place on the invertedlower wall 73 as supported and secured by the coiled pegs; the backpanel is slid into place; and a shelf 16 likewise constructed on itslower face is lowered into engagement on the end walls 98 and back panelas secured by similar pegs 96.

This assembly is ready for mounting on the uprights and with fourbrackets suitably located at the spaced slots which are modular with theheight of the end Walls 98 the cabinet is slid into place as an enclosedcompound shelving unit or cabinet 22. The sliding doors 93 (FIG. 7)which may be opaque or transparent are then installed (FIG. 9) byinserting the upper edge in the upper track and then lowering the loweredge of the door into the correspondingly lower track. Lifter strips 87(FIG. '9) may be employed when desired.

Another embodiment of the cabinet construction is shown in FIGS. 11, 12,13 and 14 wherein the back panel 102a is a modified one as built ofsheet metal with a somewhat rectangularly shaped body 104 having forwardextending parallel vertical flanges 106 at the ends and planar centralextensions 110 terminating in parallel horizontal flanges 112. The endsof the horizontal flanges terminate a distance spaced from the verticalflanges. The rear edges 86 and 108 of the shelves 16 and of the endwalls 98, respectively, in this embodiment are sawgrooved as at 114(FIG. 14) to receive the flanges 112 and 106 in the final assembly ofthe cabinet 22 in which the shelves and end walls are assembled with thepegs 96 with relative vertical movement of the parts. Thereupon theassembly can be rolled 90 onto its front face and the back panel 102apressed into place. As thus assembled the flanges 106 and 112 on theback panel square the cabinet in all directions and when the cabinet isslid onto the brackets as already described, the uprights 10 and thebrackets 50 hold the back panel 102a in place while the engagementbetween the brackets and shelves hold the cabinet 22 in place againstthe back panel and uprights in squared relationship. In thisconstruction, it will be noted that the ends of the central extensions100 are spaced a sufficient distance from the vertical flanges to clearthe openings 88 and accommodate the entrance of the brackets to theircabinet supporting position.

It will be noted that the grooves 90 preferably do not go through theends of the shelves. This provides end stops 90a for the doors 93 atboth ends and at the top and bottom when the end walls are omitted orare halfwidth walls and the doors are used. The brackets as describedmaintain the spacing between the shelves desired for operation of thedoors.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 15 and 16 in which a book end 20construction is shown in which a blank 118 of moderately heavy finishedsheet metal, generally rectangular in form is bent at an obtuse angle at120 to provide a base portion 1123' upon which books 18 may rest, and anupstanding portion whose terminal portion 127 is reversely bent upon andspaced from the portion 125 with a slight divergence indicated by thebroken lines 127a. The terminal end edge 129 lies in the plane of theupper face of the shelf 16.

The upright member 116 of the book end 20 is constructed like theshelves at their ends in that they have horizontally spaced verticalframe members and a top cross frame member 174 supporting laminatingveneer boards 178. The frame members are externally rabbeted as at 1-82to receive mitered finishing strips 184. The inner veneer board isnotched as at 31 to receive and accommodate the base portion 123 andwhen the reversely bent terminal end 127 is received between the veneerboards 178 the terminal end is deflected to the position shown in solidlines (FIG. 16) to provide a frictional fit with the terminal edge 129resting on the shelf. In this relationship the base portion 123 isinclined upwardly from the shelf surface to the bend 120 whereby theveneer boards will be moved inwardly against the book 18 when the weightof a book adjacent thereto deflects the base portion downwardly. Withbooks present the two book ends 20 exert a clamping action upon thebooks between them which is not accomplished by conventional book endshaving a right angle between their base and upright. This clamping isaccomplished notwithstanding that the upright portions of the book endsare perpendicular and can engage back to back when so arranged at timeswhen no books are present to be supported. The external appearance ofthe book end uprights can be identcal and can receive a carving or aplaque on either or both sides.

In FIGS. 17 and 18, a modification is shown in which the bracket 150 isconstructed with the shelf supporting portions 158 disposed at an angledownwardly inclined from the upright and its upper edge near the uprightis provided with an upstanding detent 166 which engages the back framemember 176 through routed openings 188 in the bottom veneer board 178.The lower edge of the shelf is provided with a rail strip 163 forretaining books or magazines thereon whereby the shelf serves as areading or drawing desk.

Having thus described a preferred embodiment of the invention, andmodifications thereof for specified purposes, it will be seen how theobjects of the invention are accomplished and how various and furthermodifications can be made without departing from the inventive concept,the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims:

What is claimed is:

1. Knockdown shelving comprising:

a hollow internally structurally reinforced laminated shelf including areinforcing frame core of a plurality of transversely spacedlongitudinal'members and cross members and top and bottom shelf elementslaminated thereto with the cross members spaced to define recessesbetween them and between the shelf elements with longitudinallyextending and spaced openings at the rear edge of the shelf betweenpairs of cross members,

bracket support means having elongated ends receivable at a plurality oflocations in the recesses with a slidably engaged interference fit andextending a major portion of the width of the shelf to engage the topshelf element in shelf supporting relationship,

spaced upright support means having vertically spaced slots and engagedby the other ends of said bracket means, and

readily releasable and adjustable means interlocking said other ends ofthe bracket means and said upright means including ears upon the bracketmeans received in selected slots to engage the upright under tension andbracing elements below said ears engaging said upright means undercompression to support the shelf.

2. The combination called for in claim 1 in which said reinforcing framecore includes edge members bordering the shelf elements,

two of said cross members being spaced from said edge members at the endedges in defining said recesses wider than they are high, and

a longitudinal frame member inter-engaging said two of said crossmembers.

3. The combination called for in claim 2 in which said border framemembers are externally grooved on the front edge and end edges,

corner mitered finishing strips in said groove overlapping the jointsbetween the border frame members in reinforcing relationship, and

adhesive means bonding all contact areas involving said members,finishing strip and shelf elements.

4. The combination called for in claim 1 in which the bottom face of theshelf has a groove along the front edge extending into the front one ofsaid longitudinal frame members, and sliding door guide means mountingin said groove.

5. The combination called for in claim 1 comprising two shelves eachhaving holes in the bottom face of the shelves for peg means along theend edge,

vertical end members having corresponding holes for receiving said pegmeans along their top and bottom edges, and

peg means interconnecting said shelf holes and end member holes when oneof said shelves is inverted. 6, The combination called for in claim 1 inwhich said elongated ends of the brackets taper towards their ends fromportions disposed within said recesses, said brackets having a heightwidth appreciably greater than the distance between said shelf elementsto provide said interference fit.

7. The combination called for in claim 1 including an element having theinterference fit which includes a detent member in one of said elementsand a recess in one of the other elements released by straight edgewisewithdrawal of the shelf from the brackets.

8. The combination called for in claim 1 in which said upright includesan inverted channel portion providing narrowly spaced inside walls withsaid slots disposed in the bottom thereof,

said ears and bracing elements being received and concealed between saidside walls in a squared relationship braced by the side walls againsttwisting, and

said recesses receiving and concealing said elongated ends with the rearedge of the shelf engaging said upright to obstruct upward ear releasingmovement of the bracket while the shelf is in place.

9. The combination called for in claim 1 in which vertically spacedshelves as defined therein having bores in their bottom sides alongtheir end edges in cross members that face each other when the lower oneof the shelves is inverted,

peg means received in said facing bores, and end wall members receivedon said peg means in engagement with the shelves to close the end spacesbetween the shelves,

said end wall members having parallel grooves, and

panel means supported by said shelves received in said grooves forclosing the back space between the shelves and squaring the end wallsand shelves with respect to one another.

10. The combination called for in claim 1 in which a pair of shelves asdefined therein each having on their bottom side securing means alongtheir end edges and a groove along their rear edges, said shelves beingsupported by said bracket support means in vertically spaced relationwith the lower shelf inverted for the securing means and grooves on thespaced shelves to oppose one another,

end wall members engaged by said opposing securing means to close theend spaces between the shelves, said wall members having opposinggrooves in their rear edges, and

panel means having flanges received in said opposing grooves for closingthe back space between the shelves and squaring the end walls andshelves with respect to one another,

said panel means and end wall members being held in place by said spacedshelves as secured by said brackets on said uprights.

11. The combination called for in claim 1 in which vertically spacedshelves defined therein are supported by said brackets in parallelrelationship,

said shelves having opposing grooves along their front edges terminatingshort of their end edges,

double track sliding door elements received in said opposing grooves,and sliding doors received in slidably supported relation in said doubletrack elements for movement in the sliding door elements between theends of said grooves.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,258,057 10/1941 Johnson1023-152X 3,081,718

10 Sperring 108-408 Pira 108152 Ornstein 108152 Fenwick 312263 Oldford312263 JAMES T. MCCALL, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

3/1963 Shofiner 108108 10 312295, 263; 108108, 152

